The frequency of a robot menace in Captain Marvel Adventures tells you this was a comic soaked in Science Fiction. One of its top writers was an SF Pulpsters who turned to comic book writing, Otto Binder. Other SF men like Manly Wade Wellman and Jack Binder also worked on Fawcett comics. In a previous piece we looked at the alien invasion theme. This time it is robots and mechanical men.
Early Days
The first story to have a robot in it was “Captain Marvel and Klang the Killer” (Captain Marvel Adventures #15, September 18, 1942). It was written and drawn by Marc Swayze. Doctor Bram creates a series of robots that end with Klang. When Klang drinks impure gasoline he becomes homicidal. It is up to Captain Marvel to smash him to bits then rebuild him. The Frankenstein trope is in full force here even though the doctor is named after Bram Stoker.
Bill Woolfolk
Swayze didn’t do any more robots but Bill Woolfolk gladly took over penning such tales. He wrote four of them, most featuring the robotic villain he created, Mr. Atom. I have to wonder if this was a bit of fun poked at his fellow writer, Otto Binder. Binder’s classic 1939 story was “I, Robot” starring Adam Link. There is a close similarity between Atom and Adam.
“Captain Marvel Meets Mr. Atom” (Captain Marvel Adventures #78, November 1947) was written by Bill Woolfolk and drawn by C. C. Beck. To add to my Adam Link theory, the story is told by the robot. Charles Langley creates Mr. Atom by charging a robot with atomic energy. Proving himself very strong, Mr. Atom decides to rule over men. He goes to the United Nations tell them of his rule. He zaps a man foolish enough to laugh at him. Captain Marvel fights him and loses. In the second round Cap takes him out and puts him in a lead-lined cell from which he is telling his story.
“Captain Marvel Battles Mr. Atom and the Comet Men” (Captain Marvel Adventures #81, February 1948) was written by Bill Woolfolk and drawn by C. C. Beck. Evil alien invaders, the Comet Men, free Mr. Atom to use him as a pawn in taking over the Earth. Captain Marvel defeats them so they flee to their space ship and try again. In the end the aliens and Atom destroy each other. The alien invaders were drawn to look like Yellow Peril style Asians.
“The Wonderful Iron Horse” (Captain Marvel Adventures #87, August 1948) was written by Bill Woolfolk and drawn by Pete Costanza. The warden of the prison hears Runt’s story of how he and another crook tried to win horse races with a robot horse. Unfortunately the device can’t be turned and the robot runs off the field. Captain Marvel destroys the machine but Runt has a dislike for horses from now on.
“The World of Mr. Atom” (Captain Marvel Adventures #90, November 1948) written by Bill Woolfolk and drawn by C. C. Beck. After the explosion in the last Mr. Atom story, it is assumed the evil robot was destroyed. In fact, he was thrown into the future to 2053. The world is now run on atomic energy. He takes over the system to sue for rulership. Captain Marvel travels through time to face off with him once again. When the two duel near the atomic engines, Mr. Atom accidentally gets zapped. He has been destroyed at last. This was his last appearance until 1976 when DC Comics, now owners of the SHAZAM properties, brought him back.
Otto Binder
It is only natural that if CMA was going to introduce a friendly robot character it would be written by Otto Binder. He wrote six robot stories, most featuring the likable Timmy Tinkle. Binder does do some bad robots too, using them to explain seemingly magical creatures like giant spiders.
“The Machine Monster” (Captain Marvel Adventures #120, May 1951) was written by Otto Binder and drawn by C. C. Beck. Captain Marvel investigates Bongo Island to find its inhabitants worshiping the robot Klashna as a god. Captain Marvel learns that the robot is the last of a machine civilization but Klashna killed all the other machines then set himself as ruler of the humans. Cap shows the islanders how machines are supposed to serve men not the other way around. Then he destroys Klashna, freeing everyone. Star Trek would use the same idea in “The Apple”. There is a resemblance to the Ian Fleming novel, Dr. No (1957) as well with its island “dragon”.
“The Mechanical Man Mystery” (Captain Marvel Adventures #125, October 1951) written by Otto Binder and drawn by C. C. Beck. Timmy Tinkle the robot is looking for a job. His inventor, Ivan DeRook, has freed him. Timmy is a good worker. He tells Billy Batson his greatest desire is to be treated like an actual person. (Shades of Mr. Data!) Timmy saves people when a pole is about to hit a building. Later, his boss, Mr. Morris, is robbed at work. Timmy is blamed. Billy speaks up for Timmy but Captain Marvel investigates. He finds the robot breaking into a safe. Cap knocks him down but Timmy claims innocence. There is a remote device inside the robot that makes him go “Mr. Hyde”. Cap follows the robot back to Ivan DeRook and destroys the controlling machine. Timmy is free to be a citizen again.
“The Robot Hunt” (Captain Marvel Adventures #129, February 1952) was written by Otto Binder and drawn by C. C. Beck. Doc Quartz solves Mr. Morris’s problem: he is too tender-hearted to kill animals. The solution is the doctor creates robot animals like Timmy’s dog, Fido. The robots prove a danger to humans and Captain Marvel isn’t sure how he can save the mechanical beasts, until he thinks of a robot zoo.
“Television Trickery” (Captain Marvel Adventures #136, September 1952) was written by Otto Binder and drawn by C. C. Beck. Timmy Tinkle wants to be a cameraman at Mr. Morris’s television station. Morris fires Anton Garsh for his lousy puppetry and hires Billy to do a show instead. While filming the puppets, someone drops tear gas in the studio. Captain Marvel remembers Timmy saying he’d do anything to be a cameraman and suspects him. Timmy runs away. Later Captain Marvel and Timmy film the show because of them are not harmed by the gas. The real culprit proves to be disgruntled Garsh. Timmy is hired on as the new cameraman.
“Spider’s Doom” (Captain Marvel Adventures #139, December 1952) was written by Otto Binder and drawn by C. C. Beck. Mysterious giant spider webs appear all over town. The giant spider captures Billy but he becomes Captain Marvel and drives it away. Walking home, the spider strikes again, capturing Billy and covering his mouth so he can’t say SHAZAM! The spider takes the boy to a blimp flying over head. Inside he meets Lem Legree, a man who claims his grandfather owned slaves, and he will too. When Billy finally gets his mouth free he becomes Cap and destroys the robot. Lem gets a whippin’ too. As with so many future Saturday Morning cartoons, the seemingly amazing monster will prove to be a robot. (It’s a nice bit of serendipity that the sound effect when he destroys the spider is “Klaang”.)
“The Impossible Ghost” (Captain Marvel Adventures #148, September 1953) was written by Otto Binder and drawn by C. C. Beck. Billy visits Dexter Knox, boy scientist. He meets his new robot, Mr. Two, who looks a lot like Timmy Tinkle. When Dexter uses his new ultra-wave machine a ghost appears. The phantom throws Mr. Two at the two boys but Captain Marvel saves the day. The ghost attacks again by dangerously running an electrical device then possesses an octopus-shaped machine. Captain Marvel figures out who this ghost is when he realizes it speaks only in mathematical language. It is the spirit of the first robot, Mr. One. Cap traps the phantom by burying the first robot on the Moon. This is an unusual tale in that it contains both supernatural and Science Fictional elements. Binder pulls it off easily.
There was the robot menace in CMA. There were other themes that Captain Marvel Adventures used as well as robots and Space invaders: dinosaurs, cavemen, time travel, curses and spells as well as one episode with a killer plant monster. We may look at more of these in the future.
